An Old Friend
by Jturtle
Summary: Did Obi Wan ever actually learn to comuunicate with Qui Gon? Intertrilogy Rating to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters I'm working with. They belong to George Lucas.

Summary: Did Obi wan ever actually learn to communicate with Qui-gon?

Authors Note: This will be my first story ever that is more than one post long! That being said I don't know how often updates will come but they will be fairly frequent.

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Obi-wan was devastated. 

What did a person do when all the light in the universe seemed to have been brutally extinguished? His "brother" was as good as dead, his surrogate family had disappeared, and his life had all around been lifted up, shredded, and thrown back down around his ears.

Where had he gone wrong?

Was Anakin, _no_, Vader he corrected himself, doomed to fall or was it his own failings as a master that lead him to this?

He couldn't describe the guilt that encroached upon his very spirit. He knew that he had had a fault in Anakin's turning. What could he have done differently? Not that it mattered; he would never train another apprentice even if the Jedi Order was still intact.

His thoughts turned to young Luke, now only several weeks old. Anakin's son. _Vader's_ son. The boy that Owen Lars had forbidden him to see, ever. So for now that solved the dilemma of Luke's training. And when the time came that they couldn't put it off any longer…who knows what might happen. As Yoda would say, "Always in motion the future is." Who knew? They could all be dead by then.

He stopped this pessimistic thought process as soon as it began. It was not wise to "what if?" the worst possible scenarios. It was not the Jedi way.

He tried desperately to remember times when things had not looked so bleak, both literally and figuratively. The sands he was looking out at starched for miles around without a break in the dull pall of the landscape.

Obi-wan remembered during the war, fighting with Anakin by his side. Those had been tumultuous times but they had always been together, side-by-side, and for what they had never doubted was the right cause. Was it the right cause now, in hindsight, who knew?

And farther back, before the war even started. Training the boy had certainly not been easy but it had always been a joy. He had been very proud of his padawan and he had loved Anakin very much even if the boy had not seen it.

And then his own apprenticeship. He had loved Qui-gon like a father. Even though his master had been undemonstrative and, to outsiders a stiff man, Obi-wan still knew, deep down, that Qui-gon had cared deeply about him.

Then possibly the most carefree times of his life had been his days in the creche rolling around with Garen, Bant, and Reeft. Those had been the most happy and most definitely silliest time of his life. Sometimes, even as a master, he had wished he was back there in his days as a youngling. Except now the creech was a bloody morgue…

He sighed and reminded himself for the umpteenth time that Jedi do not rage against what is already done and in the past.

Again his thoughts turned to his fallen, former apprentice. He wondered if what Padme had said on the brink of her death was true. "There's good in him still, Obi-wan. This I know…" Was it true? It certainly had not seemed like it when they had fought over the fiery melting pits of Mustafar. But now he risked one small shred of hope.

And then there was what Yoda had said the day the twins had been separated. He had spoken of Qui-gon learning the path to immortality. That Obi-wan could learn to commune with him via the Force. And that outlined his other thin strand of hope.

He had no idea which was more probable, Anakin possessing light or Obi-wan himself learning to communicate with the dead. However he would hold on to both ideas as they were all he had to live for aside from the tiny bundle of joy that was Anakin's legacy to the galaxy.


	2. Chapter 2

The next post is here!

Thank you for your reviews.

See first chapter for disclaimers.

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_I could feel the air swirling around the generator room in The Palace of Theed. It felt so cold even though I knew only moments ago it had been a little too warm for comfort and had been especially warm for beings who were engaged in the sacred dance of a battle to the death._

_A double-bladed red lightsaber crashed against a solitary blue one as the dark cloaked Sith and the skilled Jedi apprentice entangled swords once again. The two appeared to be evenly matched as the swords clashed together with neither one gaining any vast advantage._

_I looked on in a helpless kind of despair. Obi-wan's face showed rage and revenge without a hint of the calm serenity that should have been there. Where had my level headed padawan gone? I watched closely as he drew more and more on the darkside without appearing to be aware of such an action on his part. He was completely focused on the moment. _Now _he understands? How ironic._

_I would have laughed but as I finally turned my attention back to my critical condition, I realized that any such action would be quite impossible. _

_I was dying._

_And with so much left undone._

_I wanted to see my padawan knighted. I had hoped to train Anakin, a boy that I believed to be the Chosen One. I had left so many things unsaid between Obi-wan and myself, and now I desperately wished that I had not. I wanted to tell him how proud I was and now it looked as though I would never have the opportunity. _

_They say your life flashes before your eyes right before you die. And I think mine did. But not as images. It was as though I relived all the emotions from my life again._

_Love and attachment seemed to be very prominent themes. So much for no attachment, huh? My love for Tahl, whom I had lost very recently. My love for Xanatos who had ended his life of his own volition. And indeed, my love for Obi-wan whom I could no longer see battling the Sith._

_And my attention snapped back to reality. _

_The Sith was dragging his now single-bladed lightsaber on the edge of the abyss in the center of the room. Rather suddenly, I felt an influx in the Force as it gathered around Obi-wan. He used this to jump out of his perilous hanging position and rapidly cut down the Sith Lord._

_I belatedly realized that the latter action was preformed with my own lightsaber. _

_As Obi-wan dashed towards where I was lying I remember earlier experiments with the method to retain ones identity once passed in to the Force that the Ancient Order of the Whills had perfected long ago._

_Now was the time to find out if the long hours of research and meditation would benefit me at all. But I had to take care of as much of my unfinished business as I still could while I was living as I might not get another chance to._

"_No," Obi-wan chocked out._

"_Obi-wan," I said drawing his attention, "Obi-wan, you must train the boy."_

"_Yes, master," he said tears running down those boyish checks._

"_He is the Chosen One. He must be trained." I reached up to brush my padawan's jawbone._

"_Train him."_

"_Yes, master"_

_And his tear streaked face was my last sight among the living._

_Here it comes, I can feel the Force calling and I answer. I do not fight because it is my time._

_As I learned I hold on to the memories, slowly going through my life. These memories make me, me, therefore it is crucial that I not let go, do not let my soul dissipate into the millions that have gone before me. _

_I am not sure when I actually joined the Force. There was no bang or sudden realization. It happened very gradually. However, I could still think independently so I must have had success somewhere along the way. _

_I could also sense what was going on around me. Around me was the best way to describe it. It was like being in and around _everything _at the same time. Yet I was not overwhelmed._

_I was at peace._


	3. Chapter 3

As always thank you to anybody who stops by to review.

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Obi-wan knelt in the center of his floor. He held the traditional Jedi meditation pose in the middle of the cleared out space but, his face showed anything but a calm or serene expression.

A better way to describe his expression might be harrowed or even frustrated.

Yoda's advice was not as easy to follow as he had made it sound, the figure thought sardonically.

_Relax._

Well, did Yoda have _any_ idea how hard that was in his current state of mind? He felt guilty and frustrated and at the same time he was desperately trying to reign in his anger at the universe in general. Where had everything gone so far off track? Was it when Qui-gon died? The Clone Wars started? Anakin's turning? He certainly had enough to be angry about.

A Jedi however, was supposed to let go of his anger. This brought him back to his present situation. He had to relax but it seemed like he had not had this much trouble focusing on his meditation since he was a youngling.

He felt like he had to _do _something.

He wanted to talk to Qui-gon again which meant he had to sit still.

Back at Polis Massa Yoda's advice had seemed almost comically easy. The basics of it had been to relax and have the desire to reach his goal. The latter was certainly the easier part. How does one relax at the same time one has a burning desire to commune with the "other side"?

He replayed the conversation just in case he was missing some clue.

They had spoken of what Obi-wan would do when he arrived on Tatooine. Whether he should contact the Larses first or go there straight away, and things of that nature. When the conversation finally drifted to the training they had both been somewhat eager to leave the medical center before imperial forces were alerted to their presence.

Going through the rest of the relatively short conversation yielded no more clues as to what else Obi-wan could do to expedite this achingly slow process.

Better get back at it, he thought wryly. At this rate Luke will be 30 before I get this down. He settled back into the familiar pose to begin again.

After another half an hour of trying Obi-wan finally gave it up for the night. He was not going to achieve the desired level of meditation tonight.

It was then that he noticed exactly how long he had been at it by way of the temperature in his little hovel. It was vastly different than when he had begun. Obi-wan wrapped his cloak, which was gradually becoming thread bare, around his shoulders to keep out the cold air of a Tatooine evening.

Well, he could either go to bed or he could go out into that cold air and practice. That wasn't much of a choice as he was already to jumpy to sit still. How could he sleep now?

As Obi-wan walked outside he noticed the splendid array of colors that bathed the night sky. The twin suns hovered just above the horizon, molten gold balls, which were approaching the finish of their daily cycle. The pink, red, and orange hues were a feast for the eyes.

He stood in the center of the space he had cleared of rocks when he had first arrived on Tatooine. The pure blue blade of his ignited lightsaber pierced the air with its low hum. He didn't move a muscle after he had settled into the starting pose of one of the first katas he had learned after becoming Qui-gon's padawan, one of the first katas he had taught Anakin.

He paused. The wind was still and the only sound was that of his rhythmically beating heart.

Abruptly, he began. He moved slowly through the first stages of the kata but rapidly picked up the pace.

He continued into a second cycle of the kata without pause. And into the third. And the fourth.

He gradually picked up speed all the while. In the fifth cycle it was easy to see why he had been considered one of the best swordsmen in the Jedi Order. His technique was flawless to the untrained eye and his speed was mind boggling.

Obi-wan gradually started to calm down as he exercised under the Tatooine sunset. As his body flowed gracefully from one move to the next, his expression smoothed out.

He had a long time to attempt to contact Qui-gon, he didn't have to do it all in one day, he thought. He would be patient and wait for that day…


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to the reviewers. And I'm also sorry that this took longer than the others have. This week has been insane.

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"No, no, Anakin, _nooooooooooo…"_

Obi-wan jerked awake; a cold sweat bathed his body. This had been going on for at least a week. He would awake to one nightmare or another, all about either darkness or fire.

The dreams where everything was dark were not ever of specific locations or people. They were all of vague ideas or metaphors that often left Obi-wan with a lot to think about, but rarely any concrete emotions or regrets.

The fire dreams however, were a different story entirely. They were always about Anakin's fall and that fateful duel on Mustafar.

In the latest dream it had been he who had lost the duel and Anakin had walked away, leaving Obi-wan charred and burning on those Force-forsaken shores. Obi-wan knew he should meditate on these dreams but… he wasn't sure he wanted to understand or be at peace with them. Maybe this was the Force's way of reminding him that the past was never really at rest. How he wished that was true for all aspects of his life.

As always, after one of his dreams, he went outside to practice.

Practicing katas or "sparring" with an invisible enemy had become a sort of catharsis for his life; a way to blend his past, present and future.

Practicing now calmed his emotions; like it never had in the past. If anything, back then it had made emotions such as aggression surge uncontrollably.

Obi-wan went on with his daily routine. After practicing he walked inside and knelt in the middle of the floor.

_Today I will do it._

The phrase he thought to himself each time he began meditating was his way of satisfying Yoda's requirement that he _want _to speak with Qui-gon.

Slowly, at first, he descended into the first stages of meditation. He felt himself connect with the pure crystalline essence that was the Force. It flowed through his very being until he truly felt like he was one with everything in the galaxy.

He was the trees and the green plants growing in abundance on planets with more moisture than Tatooine. He was the pulsing stars, shining brightly in the night sky. He was the metal and machines that Anakin had had such an affinity for. But most importantly, he was the people living throughout the galaxy; going about their everyday lives.

He had never felt the Force in this way before. Maybe this was what Qui-gon had felt when he touched the living Force.

_Come to you, Qui-gon will. _

So he would be patient again. But this was the day; he could feel it.

As he waited, he attempted to see what else he could feel or sense while he was here.

In the Force he could sense wisps of Jedi friends, long gone. He could sense, among the living, the two void that were the Sith Lords. And there amongst the many beings was his old master… just as he remembered him.

He approached, or as much as one can through the Force, almost as though he believed that if he got to close, Qui-gon would disappear.

Obi-wan felt Qui-gon reach out to him as well, just as eager to meet. When they reached each other there was a brief hesitation. After all these years…

Slowly, almost gingerly, Qui-gon spoke, "Padawan?"

"Yes, master?"

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Yeah, I know, a cliffie... 


	5. Chapter 5

Next post is here, earlier than usuall. Pretty much everything before hand has been building up to this point so...here goes.

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"_Padawan?"_

"_Yes, master?"_

This entire experience was so… surreal to Obi-wan. Qui-gon had died more than a decade ago, yet here he was, speaking as if it were yesterday.

Obi-wan had learned all the lessons of the Jedi that there were no limits on the Force yet…this seemed _way _out of the realm of possibility.

"Qui-gon?" Obi-wan asked tentatively, unable to believe that it was really hi slate master speaking to him.

"Obi-wan! I'm so glad that you figured out the secret. Are you alright? I'm so sorry! You were probably right about Anakin but, we'll talk about that latter. Anyway, how are you doing?" Qui-gon's words came out in a jumbled rush.

"I'm alright, master. Yes, I'm fine here. This place has kind of a desolate serenity. It's peaceful: a good place to heal."

"I'm sorry we were never able to commune before this. I know how much that might've helped you out but at least we can speak now, when you will probably need it the most."

Obi-wan wasn't sure if this was really the time that he most needed to talk to Qui-gon. Wouldn't it have been better if he had spoken to him before, to prevent all this from happening?

Eventually, Obi-wan asked, "Why couldn't we speak before all this?"

"I can't explain all the specifics now but, I can tell you that passing into the Force was a very different experience for me," he said with a touch of humor in his voice, "It took me a while to get used to it and I had only just discovered how to speak with others outside the Force when the war came. As you know, the war was an incredible on all the Jedi; no one was open enough to the Force for me to speak with."

"Alright. Well, will we be able to do this again?" Obi-wan desperately wanted to speak with Qui-gon but all this was so new to him…

"Yes. In fact, it gets easier each time you attempt it. The first time's the hardest." Qui-gon seemed to startle over the connection they had established.

"Padawan? We've almost exceed the time limit for the first try. Just remember, there is always hope. Until next time…"

And abruptly the connection was broken.

Obi-wan then realized just how much he had needed to hear all of that, though particularly those last words. Sometimes, during the long nights on Tatooine, when the shadows surrounded him, the past would come back to haunt him and when he woke up the next morning he would wonder just what there was to live for. Why was he going on day after day with no end in sight?

_Until next time._

He would wait with patience, again.

It seemed he was doing that a lot lately, he thought sarcastically.

You never know what patience is until you don't know how long you will have to endure or if your waiting will ever come to fruition.

Either way, he now had two things that made life on this planet a little more bearable: meditation and exercises.

When Qui-gon came next they would speak more about Anakin and the future but for now… Obi-wan had hope.


	6. Chapter 6

I own everyone who is reading this a _big _apology. I really didn't mean to wait about two months between updates on this thing. But, if you want an excuse I got distracted with other projects. So here it is, after a big delay... the next post!

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Tatooine seemed to have changed for Obi-wan. At first it was the home planet of his apprentice. A place on the map, really. Then it was the place of his self induced exile. He didn't have to be here. He could go, join the rebellion. But he wouldn't let himself. Now, after talking to Qui-gon and living here for some months he saw more than he had the first time he had set foot here. He saw the desolate beauty in the place that was not apparent to one who didn't want to see.

Essentially, he saw it as his home, not his prison.

Even his little hovel had a more cheerful atmosphere to it. At first he had been unable to but his belongings, few that they may be, on the shelves. It was just too painful. Most of the nick-knacks were things he'd managed to save from the wreckage of the temple. They were little trinkets that Anakin or one of his friends had given him. A precious few were gifts from Qui-gon.

The first of these small possessions to come out had been the river stone. The stone Qui-gon had given him when he turned 13 had not left him in all the years between. He had kept the stone with him through his own apprenticeship and Anakin's as well. The stone had even been with him on Mustafar.

Other things were still locked up in a trunk at the foot of his bed, Anakin's lightsabre among them. He doubted he would ever be able to look on the weapon without feeling the pain of that day. The day his life had been destroyed.

"Brooding?" A voice sounded behind him. He whirled, drawing his lightsabre and igniting it before he had fully turned around.

"What? Where are you?" Obi-wan was nearly panicked. If someone had already found his location…

"Forgotten me already?" This time he registered the glowing blue form as Qui-gon. It was the first time he had seen an apparition of the Force. It was odd but Obi-wan was ready to except just about anything if it meant that he got to speak to his late mentor again.

"No. I…you're teasing me aren't you?" Obi-wan asked in a slightly scolding tone.

"You caught me," he said in the same tone of voice.

Obi-wan rolled his eyes. "But I didn't connect with the Force or anything this time."

"I told you it would get easier."

"But you can appear of your own will." It was phrased as a statement but Obi-wan's question was thinly veiled; _Why didn't you tell me it worked this way?_

"I'll teach you in time, but you're not ready yet."

Obi-wan was frustrated and didn't bother to conceal it. "I'm not ready, master?"

"No. But I can tell you other things. Why don't you ask me what you've wanted to ask since Anakin turned, padawan?"

Obi-wan winced visibly at the name. "Anakin is dead…master. Nothing will change that."

He took a breath. "I wanted to ask if this was the Force's "balance;" the Jedi dead and the Force in darkness."

"You know the answer to that question."

"I know the answer but I still don't understand. Did Anakin elude his destiny? Was it never his destiny in the first place? Is there such a thing as destiny?"

Obi-wan said all of this in the same bitter tone of voice. It revealed a lot about the last few years of his life that he could stand there talking about the child he would have called brother and son and his voice didn't waver a bit. It showed what all the Jedi had had to endure, showing a good face to the public as though they had any hope of winning the war.

"It's not over Obi-wan. The hope of the galaxy is sleeping at the Lars' homestead."

"But will he be ready when the time comes, Qui-gon? What if he falls as his father did?"

"Luke is not his father."

"No, but there is enough of the child I raised in him no worry me, even at this age." There was a veiled accusation in his tone; he blamed Qui-gon for giving him a burden he was not ready for.

But Qui-gon was ready to apologize yet. "Obi-wan, when the time comes, Luke will do the right thing. You must trust the Force and focus on the here and now."

The last bit elicited a smile form Obi-wan. Qui-gon's age old catch phrase was one he hadn't given up in the afterlife, it appeared.

"May the Force be with you, master."

"And with you, padawan."

And with that Qui-gon disappeared.


End file.
